Presumed Missing

by Fiona Tarr

  Nino came back almost instantly to take the detectives’ orders. As he left, Jack leant in conspiratorially. ‘What’s this undercover job?’

  Liz leant over and exaggerated Jack’s whisper. ‘How about you recap what you told me on the phone about Gemma’s phone first and the case in Victoria?’

  Jack sat back, scowling slightly then looked at Max who hadn’t missed a beat with his shovelling. ‘Gemma’s phone had a couple of photos on it.’ He nodded to Jenny who held up one image. Max whistled. She spun it around so Liz could see.

  ‘Whose bedroom do you think that is? It isn’t Gemma’s.’ Liz looked around for an answer.

  ‘Nope, not hers. I’ve been in there remember,’ Max reminded Liz.

  ‘Probably Belinda’s. Both mums work until five, so both girls have a few hours to kill after school,’ Jenny offered as she put her phone back in her jacket pocket.

  ‘Nothing wrong with a working mum.’ Liz sounded more defensive than she intended.

  ‘Absolutely not. These girls were old enough to learn how to make wise choices. ‘Unfortunately, it just looks like they weren’t taught how.’ Liz nodded, a thought popping into her head, but she put it on the back burner. Find the girls first.

  ‘This guy is a predator. The girls are fatherless, not entirely happy. They are the perfect target for this kind of sleaze.’ Max’s mouth was finally empty.

  Nino arrived with the meals and put them down. ‘Anything else signora?’

  ‘Nothing right now Nino. Thanks again. This omelette is delicious.’ Nino looked at the plate. Liz hadn’t even taken a mouthful, but he smiled good-naturedly in any case.

  ‘The Vics are sending over information about the murders and missing girls, but so far, there is nothing that puts Jones in the spotlight except the fact he was there.’ Jack took a sip of his cappuccino and started on his bacon and fetta omelette.

  ‘Murders?’ Max stopped, his coffee cup inches from his lips.

  ‘Oh, sorry. That’s my fault Jack. I hadn’t had a chance to catch Max up.’ Liz finally started eating.

  ‘We ran a search in Victoria for similar cases once we knew Jones was ex-Victorian. We knew one girl had gone missing from his school, then we discovered another, then further investigation revealed two murders and another girl missing from the area.’

  ‘Damn. I followed him home last night. The guy has a shed out back. Barely got his feet in the door before he headed straight out there. I tried to get a closer look. To see if there was anything in plain sight that might get us a warrant, but he has this big arse angry German Shepherd that nearly took a bite out of me.’

  Liz laughed, Jenny smiled but quickly returned to a neutral expression.

  ‘It wasn’t funny. I had to run my arse off, hiding in bushes so neighbours wouldn’t spot me.’ Now the girls were both laughing.

  Jack patted Max’s stomach. ‘Good thing you’ve lost a few kilos mate or that dog would have had you for sure.’

  ‘Ha ha. You’re a scream.’ The girls thought so, Jenny snorted, her coffee nearly spewing all over the table. As the drips came out of her nose, even Max had to laugh.

  Everyone ate in silence as Liz took a sip of her coffee and continued eating. All eyes were on Liz, waiting on her to explain her plan, but she wasn’t in any hurry.

  She watched her new friends as she ate. Did she want to put Jack in this situation? Could he handle it? For some reason, she had no such thought about Jenny. The young woman was tenacious, strong and very independent. Something about the way she handled herself told Liz she was wise to the world. Jack on the other hand hadn’t even known his dad was chief Judge and crime boss before a few months ago.

  ‘I’ve made a few enquiries. I have someone keeping an eye out for any porn featuring raw young girls.’

  ‘I don’t like the sound of that!’ Jack sipped his coffee and put further hesitation on Liz’s plan.

  ‘If there is a new outfit in town, throwing local girls out for all to see, this piece of shit will know about it.’ Liz put her fork down, suddenly losing her appetite. Max watched her cutlery position and waited at least a heartbeat before asking.

  ‘Are you done with that?’ Liz took her knife and fork off and handed him the plate.

  ‘How do you know this guy?’

  ‘I don’t think that is relevant.’

  ‘I do.’ Jack was pushing.

  ‘I haven’t done anything illegal, so no, you don’t need to know.’ Liz’s lips were pursed, her shoulders squared up on the detective. Jenny must have kicked Jack under the table, because he frowned in her direction and then looked at Liz, his face softening.

  ‘Sorry. You’re right. Go on.’

  Liz drained the last of her cappuccino and held up the cup, smiling at the waiter. Nino saw instantly and nodded he’d have another on the way.

  ‘Now don’t ask me how, but I also have contacts in what you might consider an even more sordid pot.’ All eyes studied Liz as she took a deep breath.

  ‘I’ve organised to take two male guests and one of my girls,’ Liz nodded to Jenny who sat upright, a mixture of anxiety and adrenalin obvious on her face. ‘You two need to look like millionaires, with under-aged girl fetishes.’

  ‘Fuck no.’ Max spoke first. ‘I’m not lining up with any perverts to pick up little girls.’

  ‘It isn’t like that. Hear me out. You won’t need to pick up any girls. We are only there to find Gemma and Belinda. If they are there, we’ll outbid any competitors to get them.’

  There was silence as everyone focussed on their food or coffee. Nino picked his timing, not wanting to interrupt one of his regulars. Her coffee arrived, the waiter quickly making himself scarce.

  ‘What I’m most worried about is this. Can you walk away from anything else you might see there? We can’t blow this operation open. My reputation depends on it.’ She waited, watching Jack for the most part. ‘If you see what you think is another victim, text me. I’ll tell you if I think she is or isn’t. I need your word that if I say she isn’t at risk, you’ll take my lead. I can’t afford to bid on every girl there and most will be professionals, playing at being little girls.’

  ‘That is sick.’ Max again. Jack was uncharacteristically quiet.

  ‘Jenny will be my co-host. She’ll just be there as extra eyes and ears and also, if we do bid on and buy the girls for the night, she’ll be there to make sure we have another female along.’

  More silence from Jack. ‘I think it is a sound plan.’ Jenny offered, watching the senior detective carefully.

  ‘We can’t expose this ring Jack. For the most part, they cater for a niche clientele with fully over-aged girls, but occasionally, and that’s why I’m fishing there now, occasionally someone drops virgins in the mix and not willing ones.’

  ‘We buy the girls if they are there? Right?’

  ‘Yes. If not, we just attend. It’s all synchronised so no one knows who is invited except the hostess and the security staff. No one will recognise you, but we need to tart you both up to be sure. The room will be dark. Seating is set far enough apart with partitions, you won’t see your neighbours. The stage, where the girls are displayed is lit up. You bid on an app; I’ll give you burner phones to use so no tracing.’

  ‘You have this all sorted.’ Jack’s tone said he wasn’t surprised, but he wasn’t happy either. She could see him judging her with his eyes and looked away.

  ‘If the girls have been drugged and are being pimped out, this will be as likely place as any to find them.’

  Jack shook his head as if having an internal dialogue with himself. ‘When and where?’

  ‘I’ll send details soon. I’ll also organise suits. Just keep this Friday night open.’

  21

  Liz waited in the foyer of her apartment building. She was ten minutes early and the pacing wasn’t helping her nerves which felt like they might have felt if she’d ever attended her school formal. Unfortunately running away put a dampener on so many childhood hig
hlights.

  ‘Ms Jeffreys. Do you need me to call a taxi?’ The doorman looked worried.

  ‘No thanks Benny. I’m all good. Just waiting for someone to pick me up.’

  The doorman acted more like a security guard, always keeping an eye on residents. He nodded and returned to the tall, marble covered counter in the foyer. Liz took a deep breath and looked for a seat. The grey velour lounges were more comfortable than she’d anticipated. It was something she’d never done, sat in the building’s foyer.

  A black and white photo of North Terrace in the early years adorned the entire East wall. Stone buildings, most of which still stood today, lined a wide, dirt road with horse and cart, travelling along the way. The Botanical Gardens were in their infancy, the trees and pathways still establishing. The War Memorial wasn’t yet erected, nor was the South African Equestrian War statue that stood outside Government House and featured at the King William and North Terrace intersection.

  This photo was from an era now lost, a time when Australia was not yet an independently governed country and war had not yet touched the hearts of the land.

  Liz looked at her watch and stood up, pushing her melancholy and nervous tension away. She pulled out her lipstick and a mirror and reapplied her lipstick, putting the mask she often wore in public, back in place.

  Jackie’s Mercedes pulled up outside as she popped her lipstick back in her bag. A few seconds later she was out the foyer door and into the soft leather trim of her daughter’s sports car. ‘Nice.’ She smiled and Jackie put the car into gear, pulling out into the early afternoon traffic.

  ‘Where to?’ Jackie looked over for directions.

  ‘Norwood.’

  ‘Looking for something special then?’

  ‘I have to organise some suits for Max and Detective Cunningham, then I know a few really nice boutiques in the area that I haven’t been to in years. Besides, we can get an exceptionally nice meal at this little Thai restaurant I know. They do the best laksa, really authentic and the staff are super nice.’

  ‘Sounds good.’

  ‘Is Lyn okay?’ Liz watched Jackie as she focussed on the traffic. She had Max’s nose, but the rest reminded Liz a lot of her own mother. Jackie had lighter coloured hair than Liz, but the auburn highlights were there. The hazel, almost green eyes that ran in Liz’s family couldn’t be missed. Jackie was a very attractive young woman.

  ‘She means well, but she’s super insecure about you.’ Jackie was smiling but the words stung Liz still.

  ‘Me? That doesn’t make a lot of sense. She’s been your mum all these years and I’m the one who feels like the failure.’ Liz decided honesty was her motto from here on. She didn’t want Jackie to wonder about anything.

  ‘You are a rather imposing woman Liz.’

  ‘Imposing. I’m five foot four, that is hardly a threat to Lyn who is easily five eight, five nine?’

  Jackie laughed. ‘It’s not your stature.’ They pulled onto The Parade and Jackie slowed down to look for a parking spot. ‘You are worldly, independent, strong willed. All that is intimidating to some women. Mum has lived in Dad’s shadow all these years. I think she might be a little jealous.’ Jackie pulled into a parking lot, driving slowly as she looked for a spot.

  Liz considered her daughter’s words. The last thing she ever expected was for any woman to be jealous of an escort, even a high-class one such as herself.

  ‘Look, you wear your past like you own it. When mum confronted you, you didn’t blink.’

  ‘I’m happy you think that, but I did more than blink, I freaked. I’m not ashamed of my past. I did what I had to do, but I’m not exactly proud of some of the things I’ve done either. That said, it is what it is, and I’m prepared to take ownership of it. I have to admit, I was a little worried you might not want to see me again once you knew.’

  ‘Well I do. I have questions still, about why you gave me up and why you never told Max, but, you’re my birth mum. I’m the one who came looking for you. Remember?’

  Jackie spotted a space and manoeuvred her car into it easily.

  ‘Thank you.’ Liz put her hand on Jackie’s arm as she pulled on the hand-break. ‘I’d like to find out more about your past too. Where you went to school. What your hobbies were and are now. Let’s grab coffee and cake, then we’ll get some shopping done.’

  ****

  Liz sang as she unpacked her bags. ‘You should hear how she talks about you, you should hear what she says, yeah. She says she would be lost without you, da da da da da da’ah. Oh yeah.’

  She hadn’t been able to get the song out of her head since the drive home. She and Jackie had belted out tunes to eighties’ hits on the radio, You Should Hear How She Talks About You, by Melissa Manchester being the last one before Liz hopped out of the car. Now she knew she would be singing it all night.

  A light, almost euphoric feeling swept through her whole body and mind. Catching up with Jackie and having her all to herself for the afternoon had been fantastic. They’d talked and talked and Liz had discovered so much about her daughter’s past.

  She’d gone to an all-girls school, enjoyed a great childhood of skiing holidays in the Swiss Alps and trips to exotic destinations. Her parents were comfortably wealthy and obviously cared for her, but it was at the beginning of her final year of university that finding her birth-mother had become a preoccupation, one she couldn’t ignore.

  Jackie had plans to finish the year, graduate and then take a gap year before working full-time. She’d saved up money working part-time for her father’s law firm.

  Liz poured herself a wine, pulled out her computer and sat back to do some web browsing, looking for some places she and Jackie could holiday during her daughter’s gap year. Her phone pinged just as the computer screen came on. She looked and saw Scott’s name. She tossed up ignoring him, just for a while so she could savour the afternoon a little longer, but her curiosity got the better of her.

  The text asked her to call when she was free. Was she free? She picked up the phone and pressed the call button.

  ‘What you got for me?’ Liz asked as the line opened and before Scott could say a word.

  ‘Did I interrupt you with a client? That’s why I text first.’

  ‘No, not a client. It’s all good Scott. Two girls’ lives might be on the line, so it is worth any interruption to anything.’

  Scott didn’t speak straight away and Liz realised he was analysing her. It was his way, all tech, all nerd, he wasn’t always socially adept and he liked to take his time reading verbal and non-verbal cues.

  ‘It’s okay Scott. I was just in a happy place and your text brought me back to the case. What did you find?’

  Liz could hear the tension ease as Scott babbled on quickly once given the all clear. ‘The photo was sent directly over the local network of the burger bar to another device connected to the network. This receiver had to be in the burger bar, or close by to get it.’

  ‘Shit! I’ll let Jack know to review the footage again.’

  ‘There’s more. Another file was received to the same device at the same time and since the other victim had Gemma transfer both photos, there could be another girl at risk.’

  ‘Can you trace the other device?’

  ‘Short answer no. The cops might be able to do more. If I dig further, it might be considered hacking and I don’t want to get arrested, plus for it to be admissible in court, the cops will need a warrant. I’ll forward what I’ve found.’

  ‘Okay, got it. I’ll let Jack know.

  Liz hung up and took a deep breath, her light mood suddenly evaporating. She looked at her watch. It was still early enough to fill the detective in. She pulled up his contact details and dialled.

  ‘Liz. Everything okay?’

  ‘Yes and no. Had a great day with Jackie but just got word from Scott.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘And he traced the photo upload via a local network at the burger bar to another device, but he said he’ll l
eave tracking the device to you guys as you’ll need a warrant.’

  ‘A local network?’

  ‘Yes, the sleaze was in or near the burger bar when Gemma uploaded her photos. But it gets worse. Scott said more than one file was transferred, from more than one device.’

  ‘There is another victim?’

  ‘Maybe, maybe not yet. He might just have his sights on a backup or two.’

  ‘Send the info to my email as soon as you get it from Scott. I’ll see if we can get a warrant and find out what other devices accessed the network at that time.’

  ‘If you don’t mind. I’ll head back to Gemma’s school tomorrow. I’ll suggest the Principal gets the senior girls together for an update. They should really know there is a predator out there.’

  ‘We can’t Liz. If the perp works in the school, if it’s Jones, we don’t want to tip him off to the trace we are going to do.’

  ‘But Jack. You can’t use local school girls as bait. They need to know.’

  ‘We’ll issue a press statement tomorrow morning. We’ll update the public on the missing girls and offer a warning about online predators and a reward for any information leading to an arrest. We need to keep it vague, so he doesn’t know we’ve traced the device or the network he used. We can ask any girls who have been contacted to come forward. The moment we send detectives or forensics into the burger bar, is the moment he’ll know we know.’

  ‘Lucky we used Scott.’

  ‘For sure.’ There was a short silence before Jack continued. ‘Why do they do it Liz?’

  ‘Do what?’

  ‘Share photos of themselves like that. I get that they don’t have strong male role models, but dads don’t ask their daughters to pose like that.’ Liz could see Jack’s face in her mind. The anguish, the concern. With her history, she hardly felt qualified to answer the question. She’d turned to prostitution, not just for money. She could have survived on social security, but she’d wanted or probably really needed the validation. As a teen though, she’d had no idea that’s what she had been desperate for.